You are here

School Board Honors Public School Heroes

Tuesday, October 17, 2017 - 7:01pm

October 17, 2017

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Flagler County School District

Jason Wheeler

School Board Honors Public School Heroes in Irma’s Aftermath

Flagler County School Board members and Superintendent James Tager honored school district employees and volunteers for their service and courage directly following Hurricane Irma. These public school heroes were recognized in front of community members and staff at Tuesday's School Board Meeting.

Across our nation, when natural disasters occur, public school district employees are faced with the decision to put other children and families’ safety above their own. This has been witnessed during Hurricane Sandy, Hurricane Harvey, and most recently in Florida, with Hurricane Irma. Florida communities suffered a wide range of effects before, during, and after Hurricane Irma. As the storm passed and districts began to assess power outages, flooding, and other damages, they continued to serve families suffering from damages of their own.

School Board Chairman Trevor Tucker said “The fact that we’ve been able to provide shelters two years in a row as a major storm is bearing down on us is a testament to our administrators, teachers, and staff. It takes so much more than just moving a few cots into a building and then opening the doors. Our Flagler Schools Team went above and beyond their normal duties when our community needed them most.”

“I am extremely proud of the courage and service of Florida’s public school personnel in response to Hurricane Irma—many of whom were without power and shelter for their families and themselves,” stated Florida School Board Association Executive Director Andrea Messina.

All of Florida’s school districts were closed for a minimum of two days while many districts remained closed for a week or more as they assessed power outages and facility damages, impacting 2.8 million students and families. In the midst of inclement conditions and operating without power, public school employees continued to shelter and feed evacuees and displaced families suffering from damages of their own.

Here in Flagler County, our students were out of school for six days. More than 52,000 homes were plunged into darkness following the storm and floodwaters devastated entire neighborhoods with more than 400 homes inundated. In the week following the storm, hundreds of students, faculty, and staff fanned out across our county to lend a hand in the cleanup and recovery efforts.

For a complete list of public school heroes honored by Florida’s public school districts, and to find out how you can continue to support Florida’s public schools in their Hurricane recovery, clickHERE (www.fsba.org/florida-public-school-heroes/).

###

Flagler Schools strives to be the nation's premier learning organization. Our mission is to ensure educational success through high expectations and innovative thinking in a safe learning environment to empower students to reach their full potential as responsible, ethical, and productive citizens in a diverse and changing world. We can be reached online at http://flaglerschools.com, or https://www.facebook.com/FlaglerSchools and via telephone at 386-437-7526.